The Nethergrim is an evil force once thought slain but now, after many decades, has reawakened; it is a force so strong that it can grant everlasting life to those who choose to worship it.  In order for life to be given to a chosen individual, life must be taken from elsewhere, namely seven children.  As children begin to disappear and the search for them uncovers unimaginable terrors, the stories of The Nethergrim resurface.  A  trio of three unlikely friends join forces to solve the mystery of this hideous monster and to save the children of the village.  For reasons of their own, each of these friends has something to prove, and together they are a force to be reckoned with.  The Nethergrim is very well written; it is thrilling, exciting, thoughtful, sad, and a real old-fashioned page turner.  I can’t wait to read the next installment.

On a rainy day in the jungle, four friends, a moose, a zebra, a lion, and a sheep, are looking for a warm, dry place to play.  They settle in a cave, unaware it is already occupied by a cranky, sleepy bear.  Back outside in the train, they discuss how to cheer up the bear so he will let them back in.  Thinking about what makes them happy, the zebra suggests making him stripes, the moose makes a pair of antlers, and the lion suggests a golden mane.  Sheep waits outside while they take the gifts inside.  A loud ROAR chases the animals back outside.  Bear looks hilarious in his new attire.  As he rips it off, he grumbles that he just wants a quiet place to sleep.  Sheep is the only one to empathize.  She shears off half her wool to make a pillow for the bear.  He cuddles down to sleep and the four friends return to the warm, dry cave to play a quiet game of cards.  Jaunty rhyming text is illustrated by large, colorfully expressive artwork.  A fun read-aloud and a visual treat.

An easy rhyme tells of the adventure of a curious cat.  While exploring outdoors, a gray cat curls up on a chair in the back of a pick-up truck.  “Shake cat.  Quake cat.  There must be some mistake cat.”  Ending up far from home, the cat injures a foot jumping out of the truck.  A woman finds the cat and takes it to a shelter where her foot is bandaged.  Meanwhile, the cat’s owner, a little girl, hangs posters advertising her lost cat.  Eventually, the cat is returned to happily cuddle with her girl.  “Wrap cat.  Lap cat.  The only way to nap cat.”  Pencil, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are large, simple and colorful.  Digitally rendered, they show the emotions of this little cat’s adventure.

Hazel has waited forever for her baby brother to be born so she could read to him.  She practices with her stuffed bunny, Rodrigo.  When Edgar finally does arrive, Hazel thinks he’s not that much different from Rodrigo, or a watermelon!  so, she goes back to waiting. Eventually, Edgar says his first word, “No!”  He gets a lot of practice saying it as he says “No!” to everything Hazel suggests.  Mom records Edgar’s “firsts” as Hazel unceasingly tries to interest Edgar in anything.  One evening, ever-patient Hazel once again takes baby Edgar onto her lap to read a story.  Edgar cuddles in and listens.  When she finishes, it’s quiet.  Then Edgar says his second word, “Again”.  And his third word, “Again, ‘azel?” to which Hazel happily replies, “Again”.  This story certainly rings true to little ones learning a language and asserting their wishes.  Illustrations are colorful, uncomplicated, and are rendered digitally.

“Beautiful” and “dung beetles” may seem like an oxymoron, but dung beetles are considered “ancient symbols of life and renewal”.  Found on every continent except Antarctica, these beetles are nature’s clean-up crew.  Waste of other animals mean life to the dung beetle.  They rely on dung for nutrients and water and use it to complete their life cycle.  There are three types of dung beetles: dwellers, rollers, and tunnelers.  Dwellers eat before it dries out, rollers push balls of dung away from the pat to use later, and tunnelers dig tunnels under the pat to store the dung.  Competitions can be tough, mates are chosen, and eggs are laid.  Plants also benefit from nutrients as dung is buried in the soil.  Young beetles (grubs) feast on dung.  Grubs evolve to pupa, which eventually grown into adult beetles.  Pages contain a simple narrative as well as a more detailed paragraph.  Watercolor and pencil artwork is stunning – a great match to the intriguing facts of this fascinating insect.  Additional facts, glossary, and bibliography are also included.

When one thinks of war heroes, one rarely thinks of a horse.  In 1952, during the Korean War, Lieutenant Eric Pedersen thought his platoon could use a packhorse to help transport munitions and equipment to soldiers.  He bought a reddish-brown filly from a racetrack in Seoul and named her Reckless after the recoilless guns.  Until the Marines bought horse feed, she ate whatever they ate.  She was trained to step over wires and kneel or lie down under enemy fire.  She trusted her handlers.  At the first blast of the recoilless rifle, she jumped high in the air, but didn’t bolt.  With each blast, she shook less.  For months, she delivered ammo to gun crews, sometimes by herself following the sound of the guns.  She followed her handlers even when wounded by shrapnel.  At the end of the War in 1953, she helped string communication wire.  In honor of her bravery and service, Reckless was promoted to staff sergeant.  In 1954, she was shipped to California to live at the Marine base in Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.  Artwork is large and colorful.  Although the horse and settings are realistic, the soldiers’ faces are cartoonish with button eyes.  Also included are a glossary, bibliography, website and 3 Common Core critical thinking questions.

Tucker MacBean, a promising 7th grade artist, takes on the school bully and the girls’ basketball team in order to secure a bulletin board for the Art Club.  One thing leads to another and culminates in an exciting and crucial dodge ball game.  Art Club members are few and not at all athletic.  The outcome appears to be a foregone conclusion.  However, the Art Club, with Tucker’s comic cartoon Beanboy, have a few ideas to try first.  Frequent illustrations, sketches, and handwritten notes are interspersed throughout the text.  This is a fun read with a satisfying conclusion.  The illustrations are digital.  Sequel to The Adventures of Beanboy.

Just Grace gets invited to Grace F’s sleepover birthday party, which will be outdoors with sleeping bags and tents in her backyard.  Grace worries about bugs, bears, and mean older sisters.  Forgetting to make Grace F. a birthday card, Just Grace invents a ghost inside a recycling bin to deflect attention.  The small lie snowballs and soon the whole school begins lining up to “see” the ghost.  Grace doesn’t know how to let people know there is no ghost without admitting she made it up.  Just Grace has a practice sleepover with her dad in their own backyard and realizes there is nothing to worry about.  She also finds a way to solve the ghost problem.  Just Grace books are told in the first person narrative.  The books are filled with list and drawings to explain and illustrate Grace’s view of things.

Little Chick hops into the farmer’s house one night and uses his computer.  At first, she browses and purchases a few items.  The second night she buys more.  The farmer and his wife don’t know what to think when packages start to arrive.  Little Chick gets more comfortable and continues to order even more expensive and outrageous items.  When she orders a boat, all the other chickens take off on a trip.  All alone, Little Chick goes online again to find a friend.  She takes photos of herself to post online with her name and age.  Soon she finds a perfect friend.  Little Chick rushes off to meet her, without telling her mom and dad.  All dressed up, she waits at the appointed spot in the woods for her friend.  The last page shows a huge, cunning fox sitting next to a picnic blanket.  The contrast to the naive chick is startling.  What a perfect book for showing how easily one can feel comfortable using the internet, yet how important it is to stay safe online!  Large, colorful, full-page illustrations portray the fun and innocence of Little Chick, right up to the disquieting ending.  Targeted towards younger students, this is a great message for all ages.

Loula is tired of her rowdy, triplet brothers so she asks her parents to make her a sister.  They hesitate saying making a sister is like making a cake – it takes special ingredients.  As they reminisce,  they tell her she needs a mama and a papa, butterflies in the stomach, a full moon, hugs and kisses, a candlelit dinner, and chocolates.  Loula resolves to make herself a sister!  With the help of Gilbert, the family chauffeur, she sets about gathering the ingredients.  First on the list is chocolate and Gilbert knows just the place.  Then they go for butterflies.  That evening, under a full moon, they prepare the dinner, including Loula’s favorite cheese tartines (French open-faced sandwiches).  Loula gives her cat hugs and kisses and releases the butterflies.  When the recipe doesn’t seem to be working, Loula remembers the mama and papa and rushes off to get them.  When she returns, she discovers an enormous dog devouring the cheese tartines.  Loula sees the dog loves everything she does and decides this is her new sister.  Her parents point out that the sister is a mister.  But as Loula plays with, teaches, and picks up after her new “sibling”, she determines that mister is the best sister!  Ink and watercolor artwork beautifully illustrate this adventure.  I enjoyed the fun twist.